JERUSALEM: The United States said talks for a second phase of a Gaza ceasefire deal were on track, as Hamas said Israel agreed to release Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the bodies of four Israeli prisoners.

The ceasefire has largely halted the Israel-Hamas raid sparked by the Oct 7, 2023 raid, and has seen 25 Israeli prisoners released so far in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. But its complexity and long-drawn-out implementation have highlighted its fragility in a conflict that has shattered millions of lives on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

In Washington, US President Donald Trump’s top envoy on the Middle East said Israeli representatives were en route to talks on the next phase of the ceasefire deal. “We’re making a lot of progress. Israel is sending a team right now as we speak,” Steve Witkoff told an event for the American Jewish Committee.

“It’s either going to be in Doha or in Cairo, where negotiations will begin again with the Egyptians and the Qataris,” he said.

Hamas says it is ready to release ‘in one go’ all the prisoners remaining during the second phase

Hamas said an agreement was reached on the delayed release of Palestinian prisoners. “It was decided that they would be released simultaneously with the bodies of the Israeli prisoners, which had been agreed upon for handover during the first phase,” Hamas said in a statement on Tuesday.

Israel has yet to confirm its release, and has not commented on whether it is sending a delegation to discuss the second phase of the truce. This first phase is supposed to end on Saturday, but negotiations planned for the rest of the process — which were to begin in early February — have not yet started.

Hamas has said it is ready to release “in one go” all the prisoners remaining during the second phase. On Sunday, the group accused Israel of endangering the Gaza truce by delaying the release of 620 Palestinian prisoners.

‘Dignified swaps’

Since the ceasefire took effect on Jan 19, Hamas has released 25 living prisoners in public ceremonies across Gaza, where masked, armed fighters have escorted the captives onto stages decorated with slogans. Israel has released more than 1,100 Palestinian prisoners.

The International Committee of the Red Cross has urged all parties to carry out prisoner swaps “in a dignified and private manner”.

In Israel, the prisoners are largely viewed as “terrorists” for the violent attacks they have carried out against civilians and security forces. For Palestinians, however, the releases are viewed as long-delayed justice with the prisoners often regarded as symbols of resistance against Israeli occupation.

Both sides have accused each other of violating the ceasefire, but it has so far largely held. Israel’s offensive in Gaza killed more than 48,000 people, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, figures that the United Nations deems credible.

Published in Dawn, February 27th, 2025